Third time brewing this tea. First time brewed at 90c, 1.5 tsp, and let steep around 2:30...wow, it was over-powering. Last two times I'm at 88c, 2 tsp, :55 steep...adding :05 for additional steeps. Better, but still not sure I have it nailed.

A few observations: no bitterness, full of flavour, very sweet, the leaves don't expand like other tightly rolled oolongs (TGY), they seem very wet...seeming to absorb the water even after 2-3 steeps. There is a taste there that I can't explain...

Finishing up a day-long session with the wonderfully fruity Lao Cong Shan Cha Taiwanese oolong from Norbu--a tea made from a 'wild' tea varietal. it reminds me a lot of the Jiri-Mountain Hwang Cha from Korea via Morning Crane, although it does not have match the astonishing stamina for multiple infusions of the Hwang Cha--I got about 8 infusions from a shiboridashi half filled with the Lao Cong Shan Cha. It's another wonderful and unusual tea from Norbu.

Tried a sample of Red Blossoms Heritage Huang Guan Yin yesterday. Not a bad tea with lot of strong floral perfumey notes, good mouthfeel and a spicy finish but the experience was ruined by a strong harsh unpleasantness in the throat, I would say almost corrosive sensation, that I suspect must come from use of pesticides/agrochemicals in the production of this tea. Not very nice!

I like red blossoms teas in general, but think I'll steer clear of their yanchas from now on.

Math wrote:Tried a sample of Red Blossoms Heritage Huang Guan Yin yesterday. Not a bad tea with lot of strong floral perfumey notes, good mouthfeel and a spicy finish but the experience was ruined by a strong harsh unpleasantness in the throat, I would say almost corrosive sensation, that I suspect must come from use of pesticides/agrochemicals in the production of this tea. Not very nice!

I like red blossoms teas in general, but think I'll steer clear of their yanchas from now on.

Math, Greetings! Out of curiosity, what were the parameters of your brew (grams, vessel, steep times, temp., etc.)?

still just sipping away at some TGY from David's Tea here. it's the only straight oolong I have in the house right now (the wife has some sample packs of flavored oolongs, but that takes away from the tea itself lol.... *hopes he isn't turning into a tea snob*)

My first ever taste Siao Hong Pao. Collected by my master in 1991 and brewed by him in my house at 2 am after a long session of training day.... A dream come true. This tea came from the Da Hong Pao area in Wuyi and very rare and exotic and really incredible. It has the real taste of Dao Hong Pao but have that unique prickly sweetness and aroma of Da Hong Pao. Can't really find the right word to describe this incredible tea. Very happy tea day.

Today I pour some really wonderful rounds of Norbu's Ba Xian Fenghuang Wulong tea, the last of my 10g sample. This tea has great longevity. Out of the bag, there is not much fragrance; even after a short bake in the pot the fragrance is subtle, but after a flash rinse or first brew the pot is alive with really rich scent. I pour 5g in a 90ml glazed, Andrzej Bero kyusu for more than ten rounds. I'm not even certain I can characterize this tea; it was such a surprise and seems a middle ground between certain elements of a richer hong cha (only at first, immediately upon sipping) and the lighter elements of a softer wulong (present in the overall flavor, floral and fruit that lingers). It's a very "warm" tea and has a nice, but not distracting, astringency; though, I did pour the tea in a glazed kyusu and drank the tea in glazed, medium-walled cups. The glazing usually increases/keeps the astringency. This astringency was predominantly on the back half of my tongue, both sides and top, and the flavor followed with a "rosy fruit." My wife described it as "lychee" and there may have been subtle elements of lychee. Very nice tea!

Technically it's an old lens. Nikon Micro-Nikkor AF 105mm f/2.8 D. Got it for a good price on ebay. I've been wanting a macro lens for a while and this one is pretty awesome! Took this shot of a kiwi with it the other day: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5540/1203 ... 9f4d_o.jpg

That's a great lens. The only one I like better is the 60mm macro, and that because simply because it's a more all-around lens than the 105. Most of my tea-related shots are with one or the other of these.